knights of saint francis

8/18/2019 Knights of Saint Francis

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LightWorker™Knights of Saint Francis

Channelled by Carol Ann TessierManual by David BurrLayout by Jens Søeborg


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LightWorker™ Knights of Saint Francis This attunement is a special edition of the Order of Saint Francis channelled by Carol AnnTessier and a part of the ….

LightWorker™ Knighthood Series (mostly by Carol Ann Tessier)LightWorker™ Jedi Knights (Andrew Brocklebank)LightWorker™ Knights Hospitaller (Knights of Malta - Jens Söeborg)

LightWorker™ Knights of Archangel Metatron - Order of Metatron SE (Carol Ann Tessier)LightWorker™ Knights of Archangel Michael - Order of Archangel Michael SE (Carol A. Tessier)LightWorker™ Knights of Divine Mercy - Order of the Divine Mercy SE (Carol Ann Tessier)LightWorker™ Knights of Jeanne d’Arc - Order of Joan of Arc SE (Carol Ann Tessier)LightWorker™ Knights of Mother Mary - Order of Mary SE (Carol Ann Tessier)LightWorker™ Knights of Mary Magdalene - Order of Mary Magdalene SE (Carol Ann Tessier)LightWorker™ Knights of Melchiezedek - Order of Melchizedek SE (Carol Ann Tessier)LightWorker™ Knights of Saint Andrew (Alasdair Bothwell Gordon & Jens Söeborg)LightWorker™ Knights of Saint Cecilia - Order of Saint Cecilia SE (Carol Ann Tessier)LightWorker™ Knights of Saint Columba (Alasdair Bothwell Gordon & Jens Söeborg)LightWorker™ Knights of Saint Francis - Order of Saint Francis SE (Carol Ann Tessier)

LightWorker™ Knights of Saint George (Andrew Brocklebank & Jens Söeborg)LightWorker™ Knights of Saint Germain - Order of Saint Germain SE (Carol Ann Tessier)LightWorker™ Knights of Saint John - Order of Saint John the Baptist SE (Carol Ann Tessier)LightWorker™ Knights of Saint Margaret of Scotland (Alasdair B. Gordon & Jens Söeborg)LightWorker™ Knights of Saint Patrick (Nan Fahey & Jens Söeborg)LightWorker™ Knights of Saint Stephen - Order of Saint Stephen SE (Carol Ann Tessier)LightWorker™ Knights of the Holy Grail - Order of the Holy Grail SE (Carol Ann Tessier)LightWorker™ Knights of the Rosary - Order of the Rosary SE (Carol Ann Tessier)LightWorker™ Knights of the Round Table (Andrea Baginski & Jens Söeborg)LightWorker™ Knights Templar (Jens Söeborg)LightWorker™ Teutonic Knights (Andrea Baginski & Jens Söeborg)

Foreword I have been to Assisi about eight times as a tour manager and enjoying it very much each time. Ihave studied the life of Saint Francis (San Francesco in Italian), and I have been very impressed

by his ideas and his life. So it is a pleasure to present this as one of the four new “orders” fromCarol. Main part of the manual is a translation made by David Burr from the MedievalSourcebook “The Rule of the Franciscan Order” Translation by, with permission to reproducefor educational use.

Tehuti


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Francis Searches for His Role in Life Lessons from the Life of Saint Francis of Assisi, Part 1

Saint Francis of Assisi was born in 1182, the only son of Pietro Bernardone,a wealthy cloth merchant of central Italy. Peitro gave his son the name ofGiovanni at baptism, though he afterwards altered his son’s name toFrancesco, perhaps in honor of his trading in France. Pietro’s worldlysuccess had secured for the young Francis a care-free life of materialcomfort. Francis was a popular youth, often the center of attention, whocould be found engaged in sport, frequenting the piazze of the city, orconfidently serenading the young women of Assisi.

Francis eagerly sought the glory and honor of battle and in 1201, at the ageof 19, outfitted himself as a knight in order to join the war with Assisi’srival, Perugia. After an abrupt defeat, however, Francis spent nearly a yearas a prisoner of the neighboring city-state while his father raised the moneyin 1203 to pay his ransom.

Though he turned frequently to the Sacred Scriptures for comfort,imprisonment and illness had shattered his self-assurance. Moreover,instead of reassuring him, the Gospel challenged Francis with the stillunfamiliar values of Christian discipleship.

In 1205 he again tried to outfit himself as a knight, but after suffering another illness, he had a vision that marked the beginning of his conversion. He was 23 years old. Uncertain andpensive, he returned to Assisi where his initial depression soon became an emotional crisis. Hisold way of life and his old friends left him feeling disillusioned and empty. His evidentdissatisfaction with the material comforts of his life frustrated his father, particularly as Francisspontaneously began to share his family’s wealth with the poor.

Indeed, the lack of understanding between the two provoked harsh, angry words from the fatherand a sullen, hostile silence from the son. Pietro failed to recognize the turmoil in his son;Francis could not express himself to his father. Born of a crisis of human understanding, hissearch for inner peace and new direction put Francis on the road to conversion.

Prayer Heavenly Father, help us to be faithful to you.Give us the strength to fulfill the demand of the Gospelto forgive and to understand others.

May broken families find healing and unitythrough respect, consideration and warmth. We ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Francis Discerns His Vocation More Fully Lessons from the Life of Saint Francis of Assisi, Part 2

One day in 1206, as Francis, now 24 years old, prayed in the tiny church in San Damiano, Christspoke to him from the crucifix saying, “Rebuild my Church.”So Francis set about the task of rebuilding the forsaken wayside chapel of St. Damian in the

valley below Assisi.

Although he believed that the task of “rebuilding” the Church was just a matter of stones andmortar, his life-style changed accordingly.


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Many people thought that he had gone mad, and his family must have been embarassed by his behavior. Nonetheless, some were attracted to the simplicity and sincerity of his new life.The growing friction between Francis and his father exploded publicly in October of 1206 whenPietro Bernardone pursued his son to the central piazza of the city and demanded repayment forall that Francis had squandered in his generosity to the poor—and for the money Francis had

spent in his restoration work.

Before all the townspeople gathered there, Francis stripped himselfnaked, renounced his hereditary rights, and gave his fine clothes back to his astonished father. The Bishop of Assisi, who had witnessed the dramatic gesture, wrapped his cloak around the young man, who thereafter dressed himself in a simple flaxen tunictied at the waist with a cord. Hence Francis solemnized his“wedding” with his beloved spouse, the Lady Poverty, under whosename he surrendered all worldly goods, honors, and privileges.

Whatever the attitude of the people around him, Francis began to recognize the true nature ofGod’s call. While Francis thought initially that he was called to reconstruct a dilapidated

building—and though he also restored two other deserted chapels, St. Peter’s, some distancefrom Assisi, and St. Mary of the Angels of the Porziuncola in the valley below Assisi—hegradually came to recognize his vocation in rebuilding the spiritual life of the Church by bearing

witness to the saving power of the Gospel.

Prayer Saint Francis’ Prayer before the Crucifix: Most High, glorious God,enlighten the darkness of my heart and give metrue faith, certain hope, and perfect charity,sense and knowledge, Lord, that I may carry out

Your holy and true command.

Francis Forms a Community and Receives Saint Clare Lessons from the Life of Saint Francis of Assisi, Part 3

The young men of Assisi began to take notice of the remarkable change that had overtakenFrancis. One night, Bernardo da Quintavalle observed the unsuspecting Francis as he repeatedlyprayed “My God and My All.” Inspired by his friend’s piety and devotion, Bernardo gave awayhis vast fortune and joined Francis in order to live more fully the call of the Gospel with him. Asothers joined them, the city of Assisi marvelled at how many of its young men would forsake

material comforts to follow Christ in poverty.

In 1209, Pope Innocent III had a dream in which he witnessed the walls of the great LateranBasilica, the symbol of the universal Church, slowly falling down. Before the utter collapse of thechurch, however, a small man wearing a simple gray tunic tied at the waist by a cord rushed upto support the church and prevent its collapse. Meanwhile, in 1210 Francis walked to Rome withhis band of followers in order to obtain the blessing of the Pope on the founding of his Order. Onseeing him, Pope Innocent recognized Francis as the figure in his dream and eagerly blessed himand his followers and verbally approved their rule of life through which they would renew theChurch.

Several years later Clare, the daughter of a nobleman of Assisi and ten years younger thanFrancis begged to join his Gospel life of poverty.


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So Francis received her in 1212 with several other young women and placed them in a monastery where they developed a contemplative rule which expressed their commitment to peace, toprayer, and to solitude.

By successfully integrating Franciscan spirituality with the monastic lifestyle, Clare of Assisiproved to be one of the great religious innovators of her age.

To this day, the Poor Clares have retained their commitment to thecontemplative life and continue as the cloistered branch of theFranciscan family.

Prayer Heavenly Father,help us in our uncertainty and guide us always.Calm our unsettled hearts and give us peace.Through the gift of your Holy Spirit,sustain our commitment to Your holy service.

We ask this in Jesus’

Francis Brings Forgiveness and Help to the Outcast Lessons from the Life of Saint Francis of Assisi, Part 4

A fter accepting his call to live the Gospel, during the years of 1207-1209 Francis dedicatedhimself to a life of prayer and solitude. One day, in a singular moment of personal conversion,Francis encountered a leper. In his age, lepers were forced to ring a bell wherever they went andto cry out the warning: “Unclean!” Society had embedded in Francis an incomparable loathingfor persons afflicted with this class of illness. He had always feared both the disease itself andthe horrible disfigurement it wrought. Customarily he reacted to lepers with repugnance and

anxiety. Like so many of his contemporaries, his personal revulsion affected the furtherhumiliation of these afflicted persons and added to their suffering.

Nonetheless, in a decisive moment of illumination, Francis suddenlyperceived in this leper the embodiment of God’s beauty, a human

being to be loved and cared for tenderly. By embracing the leper, theSaint learned to embrace all people just as Jesus did. As a community,the friars nursed and bathed the lepers, beginning the Franciscantradition of special attention to the poor and outcast.

When Francis learned to understand and cherish each individual

person as a unique reflection of God’s creative genius, a true attitudeof human concern and compassion began to form within him.Through grace, Francis turned his initial revulsion at the sight of aleper into a personal triumph over judgment, bigotry, and falseassumptions. This impulse led, in turn, to a movement of peace that

would affect legions of people for centuries.

Prayer Heavenly Father, you gave your servant Francisthe insight and courage to cherish every human person.

We feel too weak and uncertain,too sinful and unprepared to follow in his footsteps.Help us all to respond to the challenge to create peace and to acceptone another according to the light of the Gospel.

We ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.


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Francis Brings Peace at Gubbio Lessons from the Life of Saint Francis of Assisi, Part 5

A s Francis’ reputation for holiness and peace spread throughout hisnative Italy, people called upon him to resolve their disputes and todeliver them from danger and violence. On one such occasion, thepeople of the small town of Gubbio alerted Francis to the presence ofa ferocious wolf in their countryside. All efforts to trap the wolf ordrive him away had failed, so they called upon the Saint to intervene.

He went out with only the message of the Gospel: no weapon, nosanctions, no threatening bravado. Francis met the wolf and calledhim to repentance for the chaos and harm that he had caused. The

wolf and the townspeople agreed to live in peace; the wolf wouldrefrain from attacks and the townspeople would feed the wolf for therest of his life.

As is frequently the case, such pious legends often have a basis in history and scholars have longthought that this popular narrative of Francis exercising miraculous power over the world ofanimals has at its core a factual account of no lesser spiritual importance. It may well be that theterm “Wolf of Gubbio” signifies an epithet attached to a notorious outlaw of the period, who

both raided livestock and robbed people as well. Confronted by armed villagers, the “Wolf”nonetheless prevailed, being either more skillful with weapons or more ruthless in nature.Francis, however, neither confronted him with arms nor threatened him by sanctions. Rather,he challenged the robber in the name of the Lord to reconcile with his victims and so toexperience the peace that only Christ can bring.

Thus, the legend of the “Wolf of Gubbio” points to a more enduring dimension of Francis’historical ministry, namely, the reconciliation of sinners and their reintegration into the fabricof social life through the grace of forgiveness.

Prayer Heavenly Father,help us to make peace in our dayand to experience reconciliation in our lives.May our anger and hurt give wayto affection and understanding for others.


Francis Proclaims the Dedication and Love of Jesus at Greccio Lessons from the Life of Saint Francis of Assisi, Part 6

The spirituality of Saint Francis derives from his clear and constant focus on Jesus Christ, theGod who shares our humanity. Francis saw the self-imposed poverty and humility of Jesus asthe gateway to our saving encounter with God. This so overwhelmed the poor man of Assisi thathe sought to follow, in strictest poverty, the Christ who loved us without limit.

To drive home the astonishing humility with which God embraced the human condition, theSaint decided visually to re-create the Bethlehem experience in a cave among the hills of centralItaly. Carrying a small infant in his arms, Francis led the people of Greccio in procession with

their various farm animals to a grotto where the Saint made the Christmas liturgy itself adramatic celebration of the mystery of the Incarnation.


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Though Francis considered himself unworthy to be a priest, he had been ordained a deacon sothat he could preach the Gospel with the blessing of the Church. At Greccio, wearing thedalmatic, the vestment of a deacon, he proclaimed the Christmas Gospel at Mass and, with hissimple gesture of placing an infant in the manger, forever imprinted our hearts and minds withthe love of God made flesh in Bethlehem’s tiny child.

Thus Francis began a tradition that persists to this day: the

Christmas crèche. Francis spent the remainder of his life preachingthe loving mercy of that God made flesh, supporting his brothers inthe Community and praying with the greatest devotion in union

with Jesus.

Prayer Almighty God and Father of Light, Your Word made flesh came down from heavenin the silent watches of the night,and we like Francis are filled with wonderat the nearness of our God.

Open our hearts to receive Your lovethat our lives may be filled with Your peace. Amen.

Francis Preaches the Gospel to the Sultan Lessons from the Life of Saint Francis of Assisi, Part 7

A flame with desire to preach the Gospel and win the prize of martyrdom, Francis decided tomake Jesus known in the Muslim world. Thus, in the midst of the Fifth Crusade of 1219, Francisdramatically crossed the battle lines at Damietta in order to speak with Malik al-Kamil, the

Ayubid Sultan of Egypt.

Intrigued by the courage and simplicity of this bold but unassuming man, the Sultan recognizedin Francis a Christian unlike any other. In their meeting, did they exchange their respective

visions of the world and God’s role in it? Historians report that Malik al-Kamil was moved by his words and listened to Francis very willingly. With admiration for his visitor, the Sultan sparedFrancis and sent him back to Italy.

Two greatly different men had met in the spirit of respect and concern—one with remarkabletemporal authority, the other with unsurpassed spiritual energy. Perhaps each of themrecognized the Spirit of God at work in the other. Francis returned to the Christian world to takeup again the challenge of preaching and living the Gospel. By sparing his life, al-Kamil had given

Francis a renewed sense of purpose. The Lord did not fulfill his desire for martyrdom, reservingfor him instead a different task. God wanted Francis and his brothers to reinvigorate everyaspect of Christian society with the concrete experience of God’s loving mercy. For Francis andhis brothers, Divine mercy would find its expression in tolerance and compassion, theprecursors of reconciliation and unity.

Prayer Heavenly Father,help us to recognize the dignity

with which you have endowed each of us. Allow us to respect your image in one another

and to find ways to bring peace andmutual acceptance to our world. We ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.


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Francis Receives the Stigmata Lessons from the Life of Saint Francis of Assisi, Part 8

Throughout the years that followed his conversion and publiccommitment to the Gospel, Francis’ life and attitude continued tochange remarkably. More and more, his days were consumed in theongoing experience of deep spiritual union with God.

During the Lent of 1224, two years before his death, his mind andheart turned frequently to meditate upon the suffering of Christ andHis obedience to the Father. Retreating with Friar Leo into the

wilderness, Francis agonized over the great pain that Jesusexperienced and thanked our Lord for the supreme sacrifice that Hehad endured.

On 14 September 1224, in the solitude of prayer on Mount Alverna, while praising God and pouring out his love for Him, Francis beheldthe crucified Christ borne aloft by six wings. In this moment ofseraphic ecstasy, he who had sought to imitate Christ in all things,received the marks of his Lord’s crucifixion—the stigmata—on his hands, feet, and side.

And so, when the world was growing cold, Christ renewed the marks of His passion in the fleshof Saint Francis to rekindle our love for God. By bearing the marks of the crucifixion in his body,Francis experienced an even deeper union with Jesus. Thus, the God whom Francis hadcherished, both as the child of Bethlehem and as the victim at Calvary, brought the Saint intomore perfect conformity with His Son.

Prayer Heavenly Father,

You gave Your servant Francisthe grace of intimate union with Your crucified Son.Help us with the cross we bear that, united with You,

we too may know the peace and joy that Francis received. We ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Francis Praises the Creator in All His Creatures Lessons from the Life of Saint Francis of Assisi, Part 9

Saint Francis died on the evening of 3 October 1226, at the age of 44.

Francis was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on 16 July 1228, at thechurch of St. George (now within the enclosure of the monastery ofSt. Clare), where his body had been provisionally entombed. Whenconstruction of the double basilica of St. Francis was completed just a

bit less than two years later, Brother Elias of Cortona secretlytransferred the saint’s remains to a tomb under the high altar of thelower basilica.

Brother Elias reported that at Francis’ death “his appearance was one of great beauty gleaming with a dazzling whiteness and giving joy to all who looked upon him.” Did he who had imitatedChrist so closely in earthly life now come to resemble Him in the glory of the eternal life? Couldit be that Francis had come to share in the very divinity of Christ?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes clear the consummate purpose of the Incarnation:


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The Word became flesh to make us “ partakers of the divine nature: . . . For this is whythe Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, byentering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might

become a son of God. . . . For the Son of God became man so that we might becomeGod. . . . The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity,assumed our nature, so that He, made man, might make men gods.” (§460)

The glory that enveloped Francis at his death is nothing less than the fulfillment of Christ’spromise to sanctify His followers and draw them into more perfect union with Himself. As he laydying, Francis told his brothers, “I have done what was mine to do, may Christ now teach you

what you are to do.”

But let us not sentimentalize Brother Francis. If you stand on the steps of the National Shrine ofSaint Francis of Assisi and listen to comments made by tourists as they pass by the church, youmight hear someone say, in passing, “Oh, Saint Francis. I learned about him in school. He’s the

patron saint of animals!”

To understand just how much this popular sentimentality misses the point about genuine

holiness, consider the world in which Francis lived. Italy in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries was a place of constant war, political scheming, and, often, outright cruelty. And in that worldpeople treated animals with even worse cruelty than they treated their neighbors. In fact, theunnecessary infliction of pain and suffering on animals was a social norm right up until thelatter half of the nineteenth century, when the legal system began to adopt anti-cruelty laws.

Francis anticipated these laws by over six hundred years. He wasn’t a mere sentimentalist about bunnies and birds and pets—he simply lived from his heart the respect for all creatures—animaland human—that Christ’s Incarnation brought into the world. Through humble divine love,Francis discovered the same compassion that human laws, centuries in the future, would requireof us all. And so Francis was a perfect example, in a reverse sort of way, of the fact that “love is

the fulfillment of the law.”

Francis’ compassion for all creatures, however, was not an “anything goes” liberality. Nor was ita political attempt to advocate “diversity”—and sin. It was a compassion deeply grounded in thereverent awareness that divine Will calls us, one and all, without discrimination, to repent oursins. Just as Christ sat with sinners in order to preach to them, Francis cast his joyful love uponall that everyone might repent a life of sin and choose to live in holiness, as Francis himself hadchosen. “Woe to those who die in mortal sin!” he wrote in his majestic canticle.

May we all aspire to the holiness of life with which Saint Francis served his Creator.

The Canticle of All Creatures Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord,

All praise is Yours, all glory, all honour and all blessings.To you alone, Most High, do they belong,and no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name.

Praised be You my Lord with all Your creatures,especially Sir Brother Sun,

Who is the day through whom You give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour,Of You Most High, he bears the likeness.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,In the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.


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Praised be You, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, And fair and stormy, all weather’s moods, by which You cherish all that You have made.

Praised be You my Lord through Sister Water,So useful, humble, precious and pure.

Praised be You my Lord through Brother Fire,through whom You light the nightand he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.

Praised be You my Lord through our Sister,Mother Earth who sustains and governs us,producing varied fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.Praise be You my Lord through those who grant pardonfor love of You and bear sickness and trial.Blessed are those who endure in peace,By You Most High, they will be crowned.

Praised be You, my Lord through Sister Death,from whom no-one living can escape.

Woe to those who die in mortal sin!Blessed are they She finds doing Your Will.No second death can do them harm.

Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks, And serve Him with great humility.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, You gave Your servant Francisgreat love for each of Your creatures.Teach us to see Your design in all of creation.


The “Tau” Cross Lessons from the Life of Saint Francis of Assisi, Part 10 A fter his commission at the foot of the San Damiano Cross, Saint Francis chose a more ancientsymbol of redemption as his standard: the Tau cross.

In commenting on the scriptures of Israel, the early Christian writers used its Greek translation,the Septuagint, in which the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the tau, was transcribed as a “T”in Greek. Prefigured in the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, then, the stylized Tau cross cameto represent the means by which Christ reversed the disobedience of the old Adam and becameour Savior as the “New Adam.”

Saint Francis had first encountered this symbol when he was caring for lepers. He and thereligious followers of St. Anthony the Hermit, who were working with him, used Christ’scross—shaped like a Greek “T”—as a protection against the plague and other skin diseases. SaintFrancis eventually accepted and adapted the “T” as his own crest and signature. For him, the “T”

represented life-long fidelity to the Passion of Christ. It was his pledge to serve the least, theleper and outcast of his day.The Tau imagery was intensified when Pope Innocent III opened the Fourth Latern Council(1215) using the exhortation of the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel (9:4): We are called to


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reform our lives, to stand in the presence of God as righteous people. God will know us by thesign of the “Tau” marked on our foreheads.

This symbolic imagery, used by the same Pope who commissioned Francis’ new community a brief five years earlier, was immediately taken to heart as the friars’ call to reform.

Knowing that the best documents and decrees from “above” go unnoticed until they aretranslated into good deeds in the streets “below,” Saint Francis stretched out his arms andproclaimed to his friars that their religious habit (tunic) was the Tau cross. Not only did thehabit reflect the shape of this cross, but it also wrapped each friar in his life-long commitment to

become a walking crucifix, the incarnation of a compassionate God.

Additional Historical Comment We know from ancient texts that Roman crosses consisted of two pieces. The stipes was theupright piece, fixed in the ground, often permanently. In restless areas and times with constantexecutions there could have been whole groves of them. The horizontal piece was called the

patibulum; it weighed about a hundred pounds or so, and the condemned person was usuallyforced to carry it to the place of execution. Hence his name, the patibulatus.

After the patibulatus carried the crosspiece of his cross out to the field of execution, he’d be attached to it with ropes or with nails—hence the term crucifixio, from crux , cross, and figo, to affix. Then he’d be hauled up so that the patibulum could be fastened to thestipes. We tend to think of the two pieces being mortised into each other to form thefamiliar Latin-cross shape ( † ). More probably the Roman army carpenters, withhundreds and thousands of crosses to make, didn’t bother with that kind of fancy joinery.They probably just fixed a peg in the top of the stipes and bored a hole in the patibulum;that would make it easier to assemble the cross in a single motion, and it would make the

weight of the crossbeam and the crucified man hold the cross together; it would result ina shape like the Greek letter tau ( T ).[1]

So, in his reverence for the tau cross, Saint Francis may have “understood” more about Christianhistory than most people suspect.

1. Kevin O. Johnson. Rosary: Mysteries, Meditations, and the Telling of the Beads. (Dallas:Pangaeus Press, 1997), 287–288.

Perfect Joy: The San Damiano Crucifix Lessons from the Life of Saint Francis of Assisi, Part 11

A t first glance, the San Damiano crucifix gives the impression that Christ is merely standing before the cross, not hanging from it in agony. After all, Roman crucifixion was an ugly form oftorture that left the condemned hanging from their arms by their own weight to die a slow deathof suffocation. Some of the condemned were tied to the cross with ropes, and, in certain cases, as

with our Lord, nails were driven through wrists and ankles to grind against raw bone, setting

nerves afire with searing pain.


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And yet here, in this image, Christ seems to bealmost serene. What, then, could be the reasonfor such an odd depiction of the central mysteryof Christian faith? Well, look a bit closer andnotice the background scenes that actually definethe shape of the cross.

First, behind the center of Christ’s body, you cansee the figures described in John 19:25–27: onthe left, his mother Mary along with Johnhimself, and, on the right, first his mother’ssister Mary the wife of Clopas, then Mary ofMagdala, and then the centurion whoproclaimed, “Truly this man was the Son ofGod!” (Mark 15:39). The smaller figures depictthe soldier Longinus on the left with his spear,and on the right the man who put the spongesoaked in wine to Christ’s mouth. This central

part of the image therefore depicts the mystery ofthe Crucifixion.

But now look at the arms of Christ. What do yousee behind them? That long, dark, rectangulararea is Christ’s tomb. But not just the tomb—theempty tomb. Notice the four angels along the

bottom and the figures of Peter and John, asdescribed in John 20:2–10, peering into theemptiness with amazement. This part of the

background, then, represents the mystery of the

Resurrection.

Finally, look at the T -shaped area above Christ’s head. There you can see Christ rising up intoheaven; above his head the hand of the Father gives his blessing. For here, at last, is theculmination of his earthly mission and his return to his place at the right hand of the Father: themystery of the Ascension.

So the entire San Damiano crucifix depicts not just the fact of the crucifixion, but it depicts thethree mysteries that reside behind the crucifixion. To the world, the cross is a stumbling blockand foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:23); but to the eyes of faith the cross is the Crucifixion, theResurrection, and the Ascension, in their full simultaneous reality.

This image, of course, is the image that converted Saint Francis from a life of self-indulgence toa life of total obedience to God’s will. Francis learned to rejoice in the overwhelming beauty ofGod’s creation—a beauty signfying God’s love—yet he did not desire anything of the material

world for his own fulfillment. Instead, he desired nothing but to receive our Lord with a pureheart and chaste body.

And, as he showed through the rest of his life, Francis fully understood the reason for the odddepiction of Christ’s serenity upon the San Damiano crucifix. For when someone acceptsinjustice, cruelty, and contempt with patience, without being ruffled and without murmuring,and endures it all with charity and total faith, what else can we call it but perfect joy? And so,

right from the beginning, Francis understood that the “background” to all human suffering must be total faith in the ultimate triumph of the Cross.


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The Rule of the Franciscan Order Lessons from the Life of Saint Francis of Assisi, Part 12

Saint Francis, together with friar Leo and friar Bonizo from Bologna, an expert in canon andcivil law, composed the Regula Bullata (the Approved Rule of Life) of 1223. On 29 November1223 Pope Honorius III formally approved the Rule by the bull “Solet annuere.”

I. In the name of the Lord, the life of the lesser brothers begins.The rule and life of the lesser brothers is this: To observe the holy gospel of our Lord JesusChrist, living in obedience without anything of our own, and in chastity. Brother Francispromises obedience and reverence to the Lord Pope Honorius and his canonically electedsuccessors, and to the Roman Church; and the rest of the brothers are obliged to obey Francisand his successors.

II. Concerning those who wish to adopt this life.If someone should wish to adopt this life and should come to our brothers, they must send themto their provincial ministers to whom alone is granted the right to receive brothers. Theministers should examine them carefully regarding the Catholic faith and sacraments of thechurch. If they believe all these things, wishing to confess them faithfully and observe themdiligently until the end; and if they have no wives, or their wives have entered a convent, orpermission has been given to them by authority of their bishop, a vow of chastity having beentaken and their wives being of such an age as to avoid suspicion; then let them go, sell all theyhave, and attempt to give it to the poor. If they cannot do so, their good intention will suffice.Let the brothers and their ministers beware of becoming concerned about the new brothers’temporal possessions, for they should freely dispose of their belongings as God inspires them. Ifthey ask advice, the ministers may refer them to some God-fearing brothers through whosecounsel their possessions may be distributed to the poor.Later, let them concede clothing of probation to the new brothers: Two tunics with hoods, beltand trousers, and a chaperon reaching down to the belt, unless the minister decides according toGod that something else should be done. When the year of probation is over, let them bereceived into obedience, promising to observe this life and rule always; and, according to thecommand of the lord pope, it will be absolutely forbidden to them to leave the order, foraccording the holy gospel “no one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit forthe kingdom of God.”

And let those who have promised obedience take one tunic with a hood, and let those who wishit have another without a hood. And those who must may wear shoes. All the brothers are to

wear inexpensive clothing, and they can use sackcloth and other material to mend it with God’s blessing.

III. Concerning the divine office and fasting; and how the brothers ought to travel through the world.Clerics are to perform the divine office according to the rite of the Roman Church, except for thePsalter, and they can have breviaries for that purpose. Laymen are to say twenty-four “OurFathers” at matins; five at lauds; seven each at prime, terce, sext and none; twelve at vespers;and seven at compline. They should also pray for the dead.They should fast from the feast of all saints until Christmas. Those who voluntarily fast atQuadragessima, those forty days after Epiphany which the Lord consecrated with his own holyfasting, will themselves be blessed by the Lord; yet they are not required to do so if they do not

want to. They must fast during Lent, but they are not required to do so at other times except onFridays. In case of obvious necessity, however, they are excused from bodily fasting.

I counsel, admonish and beg my brothers that, when they travel about the world, they shouldnot be quarrelsome, dispute with words, or criticize others, but rather should be gentle, peacefuland unassuming, courteous and humble, speaking respectfully to all as is fitting. They must notride on horseback unless forced to so by obvious necessity or illness. Whatever house they enter,


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they are first to say, “Peace to this house” (Luke 10:5). According to the holy gospel they can eat whatever food is set before them.

IV. That the brothers should not accept money.I strictly forbid the brothers to receive money in any form either directly or through anintermediary. Nevertheless, the ministers and custodians can work through spiritual friends tocare for the sick and clothe the brothers, according to place, season and climate, as necessity

may seem to demand. This must be done, however, in such a way that they do not receivemoney.

V. On their manner of working.Those brothers whom the Lord favors with the gift of working should do so faithfully anddevotedly, so that idleness, the enemy of the soul, is excluded yet the spirit of holy prayer anddevotion, which all other temporal things should serve, is not extinguished. As payment for theirlabor let them receive that which is necessary for themselves and their brothers, but not money.Let them receive it humbly as befits those who serve God and seek after the holiest poverty.

VI. That the brothers should appropriate nothing for themselves; and on how alms should be

begged; and concerning sick brothers.The brothers should appropriate neither house, nor place, nor anything for themselves; and theyshould go confidently after alms, serving God in poverty and humility, as pilgrims and strangersin this world. Nor should they feel ashamed, for God made himself poor in this world for us.This is that peak of the highest poverty which has made you, my dearest brothers, heirs andkings of the kingdom of heaven, poor in things but rich in virtues. Let this be your portion. Itleads into the land of the living and, adhering totally to it, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ

wish never to have anything else in this world, beloved brothers. And wherever brothers meet one another, let them act like members of a common family. Andlet them securely make their needs known to one another, for if a mother loves and cares for hercarnal son, how much more should one love and care for his spiritual son? And if one of them

should become ill, let the other brothers serve him as they themselves would like to be served.

VII. On the penances to be imposed on sinning brothers.If any of the brothers should sin mortally at the instigation of the enemy, they should recur totheir provincial ministers without delay if the sin is one of those for which such recourse isrequired. The ministers, if they are priests, should mercifully prescribe a penance for them. Ifthey are not priests, they should see that it is prescribed by others in the order who are such, asseems best to them according to God. They should be careful not to become angry and upsetover someone’s sin, for anger and perturbation in oneself or others impedes love.

VIII. On the election of the general minister of this brotherhood; and on the chapter at

Pentecost.The brothers are always bound to have a brother of the order as general minister and servant ofthe entire brotherhood, and they are strictly bound to obey him. When he dies, his successor isto be elected by the provincial ministers and custodians during the Pentecost chapter, at whichprovincial ministers are always to assemble in the place designated by the minister general. Thegeneral chapter should meet every three years, or sooner or later if the minister general shouldso ordain. If at some point it should appear to the provincial ministers and custodians that theminister general is incapable of serving the brothers properly, the aforesaid brothers to whomelection is entrusted should, in the name of God, choose someone else.

After the Pentecost chapter, the ministers and custodians may call their brothers to a chapter intheir own custody’s once in the same year, if they wish and it seems worthwhile.

IX. On preachers.The friars must not preach in the diocese of any bishop if they have been forbidden to do so byhim. And no brother should dare preach to the people unless he has been examined and


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approved by the minister general of his brotherhood and the office of preaching has beenconceded to him. I also admonish and exhort the brothers that in their preaching their words bestudied and chaste, useful and edifying to the people, telling them about vices and virtues,punishment and glory; and they ought to be brief, because the Lord kept his words brief whenhe was on earth.

X. On the admonition and correction of brothers.

Brothers who are ministers and servants of other brothers must visit and admonish their brothers, and they should correct them humbly and lovingly, prescribing nothing against theirsoul or our rule. Brothers who are subject to authority must remember that they havesurrendered their own wills for the sake of God. Thus I strictly order them to obey theirministers in all those things which they have promised the Lord to observe and which are notcontrary to the soul and to our rule. And wherever there are brothers who know they cannotobserve the rule spiritually, those brothers should and may recur to their ministers. Theministers should receive them lovingly and generously and treat them so intimately that the

brothers can speak and act as lords do with their servants. For that is the way it ought to be. Theministers should be servants of all the brothers.I admonish and exhort the brothers in the Lord Jesus Christ to beware of all pride, vainglory,

envy, avarice, worldly care and concern, criticism and complaint. And I admonish the illiteratenot to worry about studying but to realize instead that above all they should wish to have thespirit of the Lord working within them, and that they should pray to him constantly with a pureheart, be humble, be patient in persecution and infirmity, and love those who persecute, blameor accuse us, for the Lord says, “Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute and accuse

you” (Matthew 5:44). “Blessed are those who suffer persecution for justice’s sake, for theirs isthe kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10). “He who has persevered until the end, however, will besaved” (Matthew 10:22).

XI. That the brothers should not enter the convents of nuns.I strictly order all the brothers to avoid suspicious meetings or conversations with women and to

stay out of the convents of nuns except in cases where special permission has been granted bythe Holy See. Nor should they be godfathers of men or women, lest it lead to scandal among orconcerning the brothers.

XII. Concerning those who go among the Saracens and other infidels. Whoever should, by divine inspiration, wish to go among the Saracens and other infidels mustask permission from their provincial ministers. The ministers should grant permission only tothose whom they consider qualified to be sent.I enjoin the ministers by obedience to ask the Lord Pope for a cardinal of the Holy RomanChurch to serve as governor, protector and corrector of their brotherhood so that we servantsand subjects at the feet of holy church, firm in faith, will always observe the poverty, humility

and holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ which we firmly promised.

knights of saint francis

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